Direction : In the following passage, some of the words have been left out.…
2025
Direction : In the following passage, some of the words have been left out. First read the passage over and try to understand what it is about. Then fill in the blanks with the help of the alternatives given.
More than 8 lakh people have been displaced in Kerala, as the death toll from the worst flooding to hit the southern Indian state jumped to at least 370, with losses to infrastructure estimated at almost $3bn. As the rains subsided on Sunday, relief efforts focused on rescuing those stranded in isolated places for days and airdropping supplies to others, police and officials said. Kerala has been lashed by torrential monsoon rains since the end of May, triggering landslides and flash floods that have swept away entire villages. ___________ downpours since August 8 have killed more than 190 people and left thousands more stranded.
Focus blank: “...swept away entire villages. ___________ downpours since August 8 have killed more than 190 people and left thousands more stranded.”
- A.
convivial
- B.
incessant
- C.
ceasing
- D.
halting
Attempted by 1 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept: In a meaning-based (vocabulary) cloze blank, the correct word is the one whose dictionary sense matches the logical relationship the sentence demands — here, cause (the type of rainfall) and effect (an escalating disaster with rising deaths and displacement). Near-synonyms and antonyms of the required sense are used as distractors, so each option must be tested against the exact degree/duration implied by the surrounding sentence.
Application: The target sentence reads “___________ downpours since August 8 have killed more than 190 people and left thousands more stranded.” This needs an adjective meaning ‘continuing without a break’ to explain how rainfall over many days could cause a rising death toll, 8 lakh+ displaced, and about $3bn in infrastructure losses. ‘Incessant’ means continuing without pause or interruption (especially of something unpleasant) — this matches the sustained, unrelenting rain described throughout the passage (‘torrential monsoon rains since the end of May’, ‘landslides and flash floods’).
Cross-check — why the other options do not fit:
The word meaning a friendly, cheerful, sociable atmosphere carries no connection to rainfall or disaster — it clashes with the tone of a passage about deaths and displacement.
The word meaning coming to a stop or ending implies the rain had stopped, which contradicts an escalating disaster caused by continuing rain.
The word describing something that repeatedly stops and starts also implies interruption, not the sustained, unbroken rainfall the passage describes.
Result: Only the word meaning ‘continuing without pause’ matches the sustained downpours causing the described scale of destruction, so that is the correct fill for the blank.